The Righteous King
Saladin
1137 - 1193
"I would rather have a wise enemy than a foolish friend."
Biography
A Sunni Muslim Kurd, Saladin led the Muslim military campaign against the Crusader states in the Levant. At the height of his power, his sultanate included Egypt, Syria, Upper Mesopotamia, the Hejaz, Yemen and other parts of North Africa.
Legacy
He is renowned for his chivalrous character and his recapture of Jerusalem from the Crusaders in 1187. Saladin is a prominent figure in Muslim, Arab, Turkish and Kurdish culture, and has been described as the most famous Kurd in history.